Twelve recruitment agencies allegedly involved in the illegal recruitment of 137 Filipino drivers to Dubai have been suspended by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Reports said the POEA has suspended CYM International Services and Placement Agency, Across Universe International Manpower Agency, Al Anwar International Manpower Services Agency, BML Worldwide International Manpower Services Inc., Bridgewood Human Resources Corp., Dreams Manpower Services Inc., Experts Placement Agency Inc., Hana Star Corporation, Jenvic International Manpower Services, Richfield Overseas Employment Co., SGA-Shahara International Manpower Services, and Vigor International Manpower Services.

In a report by ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau chief Dindo Amparo, POEA said that the agencies were involved in what they called as “repro” or reprocessing of various job orders. They allegedly let their recruits use various job orders to enable them to legally process their travel documents with POEA and to illegally leave the country as overseas Filipino workers. But when they arrived in Dubai, they were allegedly told to use their tourist visa.

“They used a number of employers and a number of agencies to reprocess the 137 bus drivers,” said lawyer Virginia Calvez, labor attaché in Dubai.

One of the victims was Rogelio Matic. He said that part of CYM International’s hiring process is to get a loan from RJJ Lacaba Lending Agency and Asia United Bank for the P150,000 placement fee.

The would-be bus drivers in Dubai said they would have to pay more than P19,000 to Asia United Bank and around P8,000 to RJJ Lacaba monthly for 15 months.

“Kahit ho ganoon kalaki pumayag na kami, kasi po umaasa talaga kami na magkakaroon ng trabaho. Gusto lang naming maiahon sa hirap ang aming pamilya,” said Matic.

Worse, they arrived in Dubai without the promised work. They learned that the Road and Transportation Authority needed only a few bus drivers and not 4,000 as advertised by the recruitment agency.

The government helped the duped bus drivers find other employment. A representative of Mowasalat, an agency supplying workers for the public transport sector in Qatar also arrived in Dubai to help the stranded drivers.

“Ang maganda nito kasi ang preference nila ay Filipino drivers, kasi ang Filipino among other Asians ang medyo nakaka angat sa skills,” said Vidal Vivo, Philippine labor attaché in Qatar.

Vivo added that Qatar is in need of around 20,000 workers for the construction sector, and particularly semi-skilled and skilled workers. Reports from Dindo Amparo, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau Chief and TV Patrol World